Barikot — Swat Gandhara City (Bazira)
Achaemenid to Hindu Shahi (600 BCE–1000 CE) Bazira of Alexander·Gandhara (Bazira besieged by Alexander)·🇵🇰 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan
About
About Barikot — Swat Gandhara City (Bazira)
Barikot — Swat Gandhara City (Bazira) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan is a Achaemenid to Hindu Shahi (600 BCE–1000 CE) Bazira of Alexander ancient-city attributed to Gandhara (Bazira besieged by Alexander). Swat valley Gandhara city of Bazira besieged by Alexander 327 BCE with later Indo-Greek, Kushan and Hindu Shahi phases. Stacul/Olivieri Barikot Bazira with Indo-Greek fortifications, Kushan temple 3rd c. BCE–Alexander siege.
Why it mattersKey Gandhara (Bazira besieged by Alexander) stratigraphic tell for Syro-Mesopotamian sequence
Open questions
Mysteries & theories
Mysteries
- 01Halaf–Ubaid transition
- 02Neo-Assyrian administration
Theories
- 01Pottery kiln seriation
- 02Trade route monitoring
Theories are interpretations, not findings. The seal above tells you how much scholarly weight the place carries.
History
How it came to be
- Built
- c. 600 BCE
- Period
- Achaemenid to Hindu Shahi (600 BCE–1000 CE) Bazira of Alexander
- Culture
- Gandhara (Bazira besieged by Alexander)
- Purpose
- Swat valley Gandhara city of Bazira besieged by Alexander 327 BCE with later Indo-Greek, Kushan and Hindu Shahi phases
- Excavation
- Partially excavated
c. 600 BCE
Initial construction
c. 1920 CE
Modern survey
On the ground
Structures & features
34.6800° N · 72.2200° E · 700 m · 3 mapped features
Barikot — Swat Gandhara City (Bazira) — Acropolis / Citadel
citadelCitadel or high mound
34.6801° N · 72.2201° EBarikot — Swat Gandhara City (Bazira) — Outer Lower Town
lower townLower walled settlement
34.6798° N · 72.2202° EBarikot — Swat Gandhara City (Bazira) — Temple Precinct
templeTemple area
34.6804° N · 72.2198° E